Chapter 24

EPOV

Fucking Pam. Only she could cockblock me through fucking osmosis by allowing Amelia entrance through the gate. I was pretty sure they were talking about me when I’d gotten out of the pool and made sure to put enough swagger into my step walking up to Sookie and grinning, knowing how much she liked my bare chest. Now I just needed her fucking friend to leave, but the outlook wasn’t good when they both hightailed it up to Sookie’s room.

I followed behind them a moment later to change as well, but being the bitch I had turned into lately, I stopped outside of her bedroom door and eavesdropped on their whole conversation. I knew Sookie liked me, but from what I could hear she must have been pretty hurt over that douche bag Quinn cheating on her and was worried I would do the same thing. I don’t know what the fuck she saw in him, but thinking back on a few of my former sex partners, I couldn’t really throw stones.

She wanted a relationship. A monogamous one. Even thinking the words felt odd, so I couldn’t even imagine saying them out loud. I’d never been in one or a part of one. I never wanted to be in or a part of one. I wouldn’t even know where to start.

Did I want to start?

I could admit, at least to myself, that I was drawn to her. It was no longer just because of her body or her beauty; there was something else about her that I just couldn’t seem to put my finger on. Maybe if I got to put my fingers on her for longer than five minutes I could figure it the fuck out.

Hearing her friend refer to me as Sookie’s new fuck toy raised her up in my estimation, but she still needed to get the fuck out if that was going to happen and I barely got into my room and the door shut behind me before I heard them walking out. It only took me a minute to change, but I stood there for another minute or two thinking about what I’d overheard.

Pam seemed to think Sookie was ‘the one’, but then Pam also thought her fecal matter retained no odor. I wasn’t looking for ‘the one’; I didn’t want ‘the one’, but I couldn’t deny I did want Sookie and I had no current desire for anyone else.

Maybe that would be enough for now.

I did my best to be a charming asshole to her friend because while I liked what she had to say to Sookie when they were talking upstairs, her presence was making my dick ache and not in a good way. As soon as she said she was leaving I made sure to follow behind them so I could lock the fucking door. I didn’t want anyone else dropping in unannounced, wanting Sookie all to myself.

The sandwich she fixed for me was damn near orgasmic and while I enjoyed it more than any food I’d eaten recently, I worried knowing Sookie hadn’t eaten since dinner the night before. I knew a lot had happened during the day and hoped it was only due to that and not some ridiculous thought that she needed to lose weight. I’d seen her in a bikini and the only thing she needed to lose was it.

Watching her make the pie was both amusing and confusing. She obviously didn’t feel comfortable having me watch her every move, from the blush that would flood her cheeks whenever she looked up, but it wasn’t just her making the pie from memory that confused me. It was Sookie as a whole package. Her bitchy persona could make a Teamster cower and hide (or endear her to Pam), but it was the other side of her I was having a difficult time with. I hadn’t even said the words and only alluded to the fact I was hungry and she was right there, ready and willing to make me a sandwich. I knew she said she’d cook for me as part of her silly exchange in order for her to live with me, but I didn’t think that was why she did it. I had a feeling it was because she wanted to take care of me in some small way. It was something I wasn’t used to unless there was ass kissing to go along with it, either for my favor or a large tip. But Sookie seemed to just want to do it simply because I was hungry.

I watched her silently for over an hour as she moved around the kitchen like she’d always lived there and the more I watched her, the more I liked seeing her there. I’d never felt lonely living here by myself before, but now that Sookie was in the house I could easily see how different it would be without her there.

Confusing.

The smells alone wafting around the kitchen would call me into the room had I been anywhere else in the house, but the taste of the actual food could possibly keep me there forever. I’d watched her do everything, but I must have missed her adding her magic pixie dust to make it taste so good. I had no idea I’d been so vocally appreciative until she laughed and told me what we’d been sounding like.

Suddenly I was hungry for something else and it wasn’t the apple pie.

I was glad I had overheard her earlier conversation so I was already prepared to hear her say the words before they left her lips or else my reaction, both inwardly and outwardly, might have done irreparable damage to our already fragile relationship.

Relationship.

The word and what it represented no longer seemed as farfetched when she was standing right in front of me. I couldn’t even get pissed over her own spoken doubt about me wanting to be a part of one since I wasn’t sure myself until I heard her tell me it was what she would need.

I still didn’t know if I could be what she needed, but I was willing to try.

“Sookie, I’ve never been in a relationship before.” I was happy I got through the first hurdle and hadn’t choked on the word and continued. “I’ve never wanted to be in one before, never felt the need, but if that’s what you need then I’m willing to give it a try.”

Based on the look of shock on her face, my answer was unexpected and after a moment she asked, “Are you only agreeing because of our arrangement? I don’t want to jump into anything with you already knowing there’s an expiration date.”

“No.” My reply was quick because it was the truth. “There’s something about you that keeps me coming back no matter how many different ways you find to call me an asshole,” I smiled.

She smiled softly back at me whispering, “Asshole.” She chewed on her lip asking again, “Are you sure? I’m sorry to keep harping on it and we don’t really know each other that well, but honestly Eric I just don’t see you being in a committed relationship.”

I chuckled responding, “Sookie, I married you. How much more of a commitment do you want?”

Her eyes flashed when she said, “That wasn’t real. We didn’t even know each other!”

“While that may be true, our marriage is as real as the tattoos underneath our rings and the license Bubba signed. We may have agreed to stay married for different reasons, but I’m finding even more reasons now to continue on.” I could tell she was still hesitant and knew the cause. “Sookie, I won’t betray you. I have no idea of how things will turn out for us, but even if they don’t I won’t break the terms of our arrangement.”

I felt the truth in the words as I spoke them and I’d never been more anxious in my life for someone to tell me ‘Yes.’

“Can I ask you a question?”

Not the ‘Yes’ I was hoping to hear, but not a ‘No’ either. “Sure.”

Her eyes dropped to the countertop in front of her as she asked, “Why did you kiss and touch me at the store? Was it because people were watching us?”

“Yes,” I smiled, but before her look of disappointment could get any bigger I followed it with, “But only because I thought you wouldn’t hit me in public. I wanted to kiss and touch you for my own selfish reasons, not to put on a show for the woman wearing pajama pants squeezing every melon in the bin.”

The smile on her face grew slowly until she finally gave me what I wanted to hear, “Okay then, yes, I’m willing to give it a shot.”

I stood up ready to sweep her off her feet, but her raised hand made me stop as she said, “How do you want to do this?”

I sat back down figuring she didn’t mean me having her sit on the counter as I pounded into her versus bending her over it. “I guess you’ll have to let me woo you.”

Her snicker at my choice of words made me cock an eyebrow at her and she stifled it saying, “Of course. Woo away.”

She started wrapping up the leftovers from dinner as I put the first bite of pie into my mouth and damn near came in my pants. My God, as if the warm apples and cinnamon weren’t enough, she’d drizzled some sort of caramel syrup on top of the crumb topping and my feelings of horror, as my fork struck my empty plate, must have shown on my face because she slid her untouched plate across the counter to me.

I dove right in mumbling out, “My God, Sookie your pie is so good, I could eat it every day for the rest of my life.”

I heard something crash to the floor and Sookie said, “Shit,” as she bent down behind the counter.

I got up and ran over asking with my mouth still full, “Are you alright? Did you get hurt?” Not only did I not want her to get hurt so she’d be okay, I also wanted her to be able to make more pies.

She waved me off without looking up at me saying, “Sorry, I’m fine, I just dropped a plate. Go back to eating.”

I could care less she broke a plate. I’d buy her a million plates if she’d fill each one with a slice of pie.

When I was completely stuffed I sat back and pat my distended belly saying, “If you keep cooking like that I’m going to get fat.”

Sookie was done wrapping everything in tinfoil, but she was still using a sheet of it to make something that sort of looked like underwear. “Is that going to turn into one of those swan things restaurants give you to take your leftovers home?”

“What?” she asked, finally looking up at me from whatever aluminum origami thing she’d been working on.

I pointed at the foil underneath her fingers and said, “That. Is it going to be like one of those swan things?”

She didn’t seem to know what I was talking about so I thought that maybe she hadn’t been to a restaurant that did those kinds of things and knew where our first date would be. When she looked back down her face turned red and she crumpled it up into a ball and threw it away before starting on the dishes.

She put everything in the dishwasher with the exception of the pots and pans, so when she started washing them by hand, I stood next to her and dried them as she handed them to me. “Trying to woo me already I see.”

I flashed her a smile asking, “Is it working?” I was still pretty full from eating too much, but I wouldn’t turn her down if she was willing to jump right into the meat of our relationship, so to speak.

“Hardly.” She tried to laugh, but I got the feeling she wasn’t being entirely honest. About what, I had no clue.

Once everything was washed and put away I had a good laugh watching Sookie play Tetris, trying to fit everything into the refrigerator, before she finally got the door to close. Turning around she eyed the poker table asking, “Is there somewhere else we can move that thing?”

That thing! “That thing,” I pet it to let it know everything would be okay, “is my good luck charm. I haven’t lost big on any hand I’ve played sitting at it since I got it.”

Sookie rolled her eyes saying, “Well I don’t know how to play, but I do know that it’ll be a bitch to eat every meal at the counter. Can’t you move it into the other room and I’ll pick up a grown up table at Target?”

Sookie had eaten damn near as much as me so how she managed to retain her delectable shape was a mystery, but I couldn’t keep my eyes off of it. “How about I teach you to play right now and if you beat me, I’ll move the table. I have to warn you though, I don’t have any chips so we’ll have to play strip poker.”

My heart started racing when she sauntered up next to me, pressing her body against mine as she reached down, and pulled open the table drawer where the poker chips were kept. Fuck.

“I may not know how to play, but I do believe these are poker chips.” She grinned taking two steps back while my dick kept reaching for her through my jeans.

“Oh, there they are. Fine, we’ll play with chips. For now.”

I wanted to pout, but couldn’t when I saw her yawn before she said, “I have to get up early for work in the morning so I’ll take a rain check. I didn’t get much sleep last night so I need to catch up.”

Since yawns were contagious it wasn’t long before my own eyes were watering and with my belly now full I was feeling pretty beat too, so I begrudgingly replied, “Okay.” I took two steps closer to her getting my dick highly agitated with me and asked, “Do I get a goodnight kiss?”

Her breath hitched in her throat and she placed her hand on my chest before saying, “I’ll admit that you’ve already wowed me Eric, but you haven’t wooed me yet.” She gave me a soft smile and said, “Goodnight,” turning around and heading up to her room.

I’m already on chapter 25 & haven’t reviewed yet! Your story is just too good to stop and yet I’m trying to draw it out too because I know the end will be here before I know it. It’s no surprise AI got so many awards; I’m hanging on every word. Thank you for sharing !

DISCLAIMER

My fanfiction stories are derivative and/or transformative not-for-profit works, based off of characters created by Charlaine Harris, from her Sookie Stackhouse Series. The characters' names (and sometimes their locations and backgrounds) are her babies.

But how I play with them here, in my rainbow colored world, are my own.